


Breaking Point

by Insane_but_smart



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Anti-Void, Betting, Betting AUs, Blue has anxiety, Blue has depression, Collapsing, Concealing, Concern, Crying, Deals, Emotional pain, Emotions, Enemies to Friends, Error gets pissed off, Explanations, Fight Amongst Friends, Flashbacks, Foreboding, Held Down, Ink is an idiot, Interrogation, Liquid Hate, Mental Breakdown, Offers, Pills, Plotting, Questions, Repressed Emotions, Running Away, Sass, Secrets, Sharing secrets, Shipping, Sobbing, Threats, Underappreciated character appreciation time, but we're doing that through angst, but you knew that, extra chapters, fight, monolouges, venting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22895746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insane_but_smart/pseuds/Insane_but_smart
Summary: It's a normal multiverse: There are the Star Sanses, who are the 'protectors', and the Bad Sanses, who are the 'destroyers'. Everything's going smoothly...Well, until a certain skeleton reaches his breaking point.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 117





	1. Shatter

**Author's Note:**

> I'm shocked. I typed this all out in 2 days, and I'm already partway into the second chapter?  
> Oh, yeah, and prepare for feels and Dream's suffering.

It was cold in the Snowdin of an Underswap AU- unusually so.

Maybe it was because a certain pair of skeletons had arrived through a portal. Maybe it was because the multiverse knew something important would happen there that day, something that would shake the Multiverse to its very core. Or maybe it was sheer coincidence.

Whatever the case, the air felt heavy, cold,  _ oppressing _ , even, as Dream and Blue stepped through the latter’s portal. “Dream, are you okay?” Blue, ever considerate, asked, who winced. “Yeah, but something feels…  _ off _ .” Dream replied. “Negative. Dark. Cold. It’s something like that, anyways.”

“...Why is ‘negative’ the first word that comes to mind?”

“What?”

“It’s just something I noticed you do: whenever you feel something strange, or off, or something you think is ‘bad’, why do you automatically assume that it’s…  _ negative _ ?”

“I… do that?” Dream paused, thinking about what Blue had said. “Huh. I guess you’re right. I didn’t even notice until now.”

Blue shrugged. “Like I said, just something I noticed.” Dream glanced at him as they continued to walk. “I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense. Negativity isn’t a good thing.”

Blue frowned. “Well, not all of the time, but sometimes it’s a good thing-“

“Is it? Is it really ever a good thing?” Dream paused. “Is it ever okay for someone to feel worthless, even when you  _ know _ they’re important, even when you care for them- Blue, negativity will  _ never _ be a good thing, I can promise you that.”

“God, Dream, do you think I _don’t know_ _what that’s like?_ ” Dream had clearly struck a nerve there, and the skeleton in question winced. “N- no, Blue, I didn’t mean it like that-“

“You  _ did _ , Dream.”

An awkward silence descended upon the pair, one of them full of regret, and the other reliving his worst memories. “Blue, I’m sorry for snapping at you, I really am.”

“It’s okay,” Blue sighed. “You needed to vent. It’s not your fault. Nobody can keep all their emotions bottled up, you know? It all comes out one way or another.”

Dream thought he knew that all too well. Blue attempted to change the subject. “What do you think Ink’s up to these days? Haven’t seen him around much.” Dream gratefully went along with it. “He  _ did _ mention wanting to take some time off, but it’s gone on way longer than anyone expected… and now that you mention it, I haven’t seen any trace of Error these past few weeks.”

“Maybe they’re together?”

“Nah, I don’t think Ink and Error would hang out-”

“No, Dream, I meant together-together, like,  _ dating. _ ”

“Why would they even do that? Aren’t they mortal enemies? And anyways, Error’s completely insane.”

“I mean, sure, he destroys AUs, but he’s not that bad once you get to know him. Actually, if Error was really insane, then I would probably be dead right now.”

“Blue, we’ve talked about this. You have Stockholm Syndrome. Error was going to  _ leave you to dust in the anti-void _ . There is  _ no way _ he’s sane.”

Blue huffed. “That’s only because I pushed him too far! I was intrusive! Why can’t you just understand that  _ I’m  _ the one at fault! Error did  _ absolutely nothing wrong! _ ”

Dream winced from the influx of negativity he felt from his friend. “Okay, okay, let’s assume Error’s not a bad person-”

“Because he’s not.”

“-but why in the worlds would they be dating?”

Blue paused before answering. “You know, I didn’t think about that. I guess it was just a coincidence. Oh, and by the way, did you know Error has five tounges?”

“F- five?”

“Yep. Once he ate an entire chocolate bar that he stole from Red. It was  _ hilarious. _ He almost ate the wrapper, too, but we stopped him.”

“We?”

“The voices.”

“Oh, yeah, those things. Did you know that hearing voices is a mark of insanity?”

“Well, yeah, but by that logic, I’m insane.”

“Uh-“

“And Ink’s insane. Basically everyone else in the multiverse besides you is insane by that logic,  _ Dream _ .” Blue shrugged. “Oh well, looks like I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome if Error’s not insane, because weren’t you just saying that the reason he can’t be a good person is because you say he’s insane?”

Dream glanced away. Okay, Blue was still salty about that. Point taken. “Okay, okay, I get it, you don’t like me talking about that.”

“You  _ think? _ ”

They stood there, in the woods, silent for a moment. “What do you think of negativity, then? How can it be good?” Dream asked, tentatively. Blue was about to rant, but took a deep breath. He didn’t want to escalate the situation. “I mean… you can’t be happy all the time- you can’t always be positive. Sometimes I wonder how you do it.”

Dream looked away. He… wasn’t that positive, really. It was all in the presentation. _'Yeah, me too,'_ he found himself replying subconsciously.

Ignoring Dream, Blue continued. “But, anyways, without the bad days, how do you enjoy the good ones? How do you regret your bad decisions?”

That… was a good point, Dream had to concede. However… “That doesn’t make it  _ good!  _ It still hurts people! It still makes them do  _ terrible  _ things! At least positivity doesn’t cause  _ death! _ ”

And just like that, the dam restraining a flood of emotions broke.

“Listen, Dream, I  _ don’t care. _ I- I don’t care what you think!” God, how long has it been since he’s vented like this? He... doesn’t remember, and that scares him. “And, why can’t you accept the fact that people think differently than you do? Everyone. Is. Different. I just- I’ve been bottling up  _ so many feelings _ because I care about you, Dream, I really do, but sometimes I wonder if you care about me.”

There. He said it: the worry that had been festering deep within his SOUL brought to light. “I do, Blue, I really d-”

“When was the last time you asked me about how  _ I _ felt?”

“I… don’t remember.“

Blue looked away from Dream, looking back at him when the other speaks again.

“I do! I swear, Blue, I’m sorry! I’ve been so  _ distracted,  _ I’ve been a  _ mess _ , and now I feel like I  _ don’t even know you anymore! _ ”

Blue glared daggers at Dream, who was shaking, pained from negativity so strong that the tension could have been cut with a knife. “You know what? Maybe you  _ don’t _ .” He pauses for a moment before turning away from his frien-  _ Dream _ .

Because after that conversation, how could they still be friends?

After a moment's hesitation, Blue did the only thing that he felt he could do at the moment. He  _ ran. _ He just- he needed to get away, away from everything, everyone. And with a sickening taste in his mouth, he ran deeper into the frigid woods.

He didn’t-  _ couldn’t _ know that someone was watching, interest piqued.

Dream watched his former friend run, and his facade cracked, before shattering completely. He can’t  _ take it anymore _ . His golden tears flowed out, and it  _ hurt _ , like a stake had been driven through Dream’s very SOUL. He nearly  _ screamed _ , because, stars did that hurt. He doubles over, clutching his chest, hiccuping violently.

And after a while, he can’t even take that, and Dream collapses onto his knees. He can’t even tell if it's  _ his _ hurt pulling him apart or Blue’s at this point. That look of  _ betrayal _ … had he really been that blind?

Maybe he could fix this… it would just take time.

Blue sagged against the door to the Ruins, sobbing silently. He just-  _ what the hell did he just do? _ He yelled at one of the only people he could trust, one of the three who knew he struggled with anxiety and depression, who  _ knew _ his mental health wasn’t the best- and he  _ yelled  _ at him.

He was such an idiot. He curled up slightly, against the door. He hadn’t cried in so long, he had honestly forgotten how. How could he even make this up to Dream? Was it even possible? He didn’t know anymore.

Nightmare watched the skeleton from his vantage point on a tree with a detached interest. Blue had been sitting there, actually  _ crying _ , which was something Nightmare had never seen the other even come  _ close _ to doing before. Seeing that there was a positive aura poisoned with negativity, it wasn’t hard to put it all together.

Blue and his brother had a falling out.

This was  _ perfect _ ! A golden opportunity! The goopy skeleton resisted the urge to cackle as his thought of his brother’s misfortune, for in the small skeleton before him, there was negativity, yes, but hidden beneath all the layers, there was a small bundle of black, boiling,  _ hate. _

And Nightmare  _ loved  _ it. He loved the way Dream’s pain, his bitter  _ anguish _ , overtook his brother. Knowing him, he’d probably be bawling his nonexistent eyes out. Pathetic. Blue, however, was much more…  _ pliable.  _ After all, he’d always loved to know both sides of a story before ‘solving’ a problem.

It was about time the newest Star Sans learned his.

Blue shivered. It was cold. He curled up even tighter, rubbing his arms in an attempt to generate warmth, and failing miserably. He should go back home… but he didn’t  _ want  _ to. He didn’t  _ want _ to have to pretend he was okay, pretend to smile,  _ pretend to be normal. _

At least, not right now. He glanced upwards for a moment, before looking down. Then he froze, his eyelights shooting upwards, squinting in disbelief-

A cyan eyelight met a pair of wide, blue ones.

  
  
  
  
  
  


It was a cold day in Snowdin when a friendship shattered, never to be the same again.


	2. Are We Still Enemies?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really hadn't expected to ever have this conversation, but fate clearly had other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA Chapter 2 ALREADY!  
> Secrets are shared... and of course, angst ensues.

Immediately, Blue stiffened. Nightmare just… was  _ there, For stars knew how long. _ And that… scared him. Because he knew that Nightmare knew that he- clearly- wasn’t okay. 

And he was  _ vulnerable. _

Nightmare lazily grinned down at him. “Well, fancy seeing  _ you _ here. Do you come here often?”

“Nightmare, what are you doing here?” He glared at the dark skeleton, incensed. 

“ _ Well, _ since you asked…”

Nightmare held up a finger on both hands. “You see, your negativity plus my  _ brother’s _ ...” He brought his fingers together in front of him. “Well, you generated  _ so much _ of it, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he’s unconscious. I simply  _ had _ to see what had gotten brother dear  _ so _ riled up… wouldn’t you agree?”

Blue shuddered. Their fight was  _ that _ bad? Now he felt  _ terrible, _ partly because he had hurt Dream, but also because he was literally  _ fueling Nightmare _ . He recalled something Dream had told him about concealing emotions.

_ “Imagine a box,” the guardian said, before frowning. “Or, any sort of container, really. Something with some sort of lid.” He waited a moment, before blinking in realization. “Blue, you might want to close your eyes. It might help.” _

_ “Oh,” the younger said, flushing a bright, embarrassed azure. “Yeah, that makes sense.” Blue squeezed his eyesockets shut, browbones scrunched in concentration. _

_ “Okay, now imagine taking all of your negativity and placing it in the box.” Blue nodded, and Dream had smiled. _

_ “Uh, how do I pick up the negativity?” came his soft inquiry, a few moments later. “Do I imagine a physical representation of it…?” Dream looked at Blue. “Oh, yeah, you just...” _

Could that help? It certainly would hinder Nightmare, but was it going to be good enough? Blue tried, regardless, scrunching his eyesockets shut.

_Imagine a bottle..._ _and put all your negativity in it,_ he reminded himself, picturing a simple glass bottle swirling with his emotions. It wasn't much, but it should-

The bottle cracked, before shattering completely. Blue inhaled sharply, opening his eyes in sudden realization.

Was there too much negativity to be contained? Had the bottle been too small?  _ Did he just not care anymore? _

Wait, that last one  _ couldn’t  _ be true. But the fact that he had just thought of it... stars did that scare him.

Feeling the spike of negativity, Nightmare smirked. “Do you regret it?” he asked, misjudging what the emotions had been from, but hitting a nerve nonetheless. He didn’t get a response from the younger. “Ah, so you  _ don’t _ . I guess I should have known-“

“I  _ do. _ ” Blue spoke through grit teeth.

“What’s the reason for that  _ hatred _ , then?”

Blue froze, looking down at his boots.  _ Hatred..?  _ Unconsciously, he spoke his thoughts, the world spinning around him. “Oh? You  _ didn’t know? _ ” Nightmare chuckled, leaning closer. “Tell me, what is it that you could possibly hate  _ that _ much?”

Blue glanced up, taking a deep breath. “Why should I tell you?” Nightmare’s wicked grin grew wider. “Spunky, aren’t you?” Nightmare sighed, dramatically placing a hand on his chest. “I do wonder, what would happen if I captured you? You’re defenseless, aren’t you? Is it not only the fact that you’re currently in my good graces that prevents me from simply... oh, I don't know, _kidnapping_ you?”

Blue’s eyelights went out for a moment. Stars, why hadn’t he thought of that? “You  _ couldn’t _ ,” Blue hissed, trying to appear more confident than he felt. “There are cameras  _ everywhere. _ ”

“Bold of you to assume I haven’t already hijacked them.”

“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t notice if you did.”

“Bold of you to assume Undyne’s not dead.”

“I  _ didn’t. _ ” His voice cracked, cerulean tears budding in his eyesockets. Nightmare tilted his head. “Oh, my bad. But, you know… that hatred’s in your  _ core, _ Blue, isn’t it?”

“My what now?” Blue frowned, blinking away the tears.

Nightmare felt a wave of confusion from Blue, and decided to humor him for once. “Your emotional core? Brother never told you? Oh, how unfortunate. Well, I suppose I  _ could _ enlighten you.” Blue tried his hardest to appear uninterested, but secretly, he was. And he hated that- the degree of power Nightmare could just… hold over him like that.

“You see, a monster’s emotional core is where their strongest feelings are- the ones that impact them the most. It is, in simple terms, what you  _ truly _ feel. It’s part of what defines your SOUL’s traits- and as all things tend to be, subject to change.”

_ Oh _ . Blue grinned humorlessly to himself. “Now that you mention it, I think I might know where that hate’s from.” Nightmare arched a browbone. “Oh?”

Blue blinked up at him, feigning innocence. “Why do you want to know?” He gasped, a smirk making its way onto his face. “Is the King of Negativity  _ not all-knowing _ ?”

Nightmare sighed, fed up with Blue’s sass. “You of all people should know nobody is perfect.”

There was a heavy silence. Quietly, Blue asked the question of the day. “What do you mean by that?”

Dream gasped through his tears, the noise a mixture of shock and pain, shaking. He- he couldn’t breathe- What was happening-? The negativity- was Blue okay?  _ Was Nightmare here, in Snowdi- _

Dream, SOUL unable to stand the sheer amount of negativity, fainted.

Nightmare chuckled lowly, a faraway look in his eyes, like he was both there and somewhere else. “Don’t people say Dream’s perfect, practically an angel? The pure embodiment of positivity?” With every word, Nightmare appeared to get deeper into thought, into  _ memories _ , until Blue began to get the feeling Nightmare wasn’t actually speaking to him anymore, ranting to anyone who would listen. “Look at me, then, and aren’t I evil by comparison? After all, who would want a spirit of negativity?”

“Uh, Nightmare? You good over there?” Blue clamped his hands over his mouth, eyesockets darkening for a split second, horrified by the casual tone his voice had taken.  _ That’s the Lord of Darkness you’re speaking to! _ Blue reprimanded himself.  _ You can’t just ask him that like he’s your friend! _

...Did he even have friends anymore?

Nightmare ignored him. “People maim things they dislike, don’t they? They toss you out like garbage, break you,  _ hit you where it hurts worst,  _ do they not? ” Blue fidgeted with his gloves. There wasn’t much he could do but listen.

“Because what does it matter to them? You certainly don’t. Oh, no, you’re the cause of all their pain and suffering, so you’ve got to  _ die . _ They tried to kill me, and they met no resistance. ”

What had happened? Blue wanted to know, but at the same time, he thought of something else.  _ Why didn’t Dream help?  _ Nightmare’s tentacles, without warning, sharpened, hands clenched into fists, before he took a breath in an attempt to relax. 

“You need to talk or something? Vent, maybe?” Blue never thought he would have felt  _ concern _ , of all emotions, towards  _ Nightmare _ , of all people, but then again, here he was, doing exactly that.

“I’m... fine.” And that was that; end of discussion. Nightmare narrowed his eye at Blue. “How much did he tell you?”

“Er… nothing, actually.”

“I had guessed, judging on your expression.”

There was a not-quite-companionable silence. “Where do you think the hate’s  _ from _ ?” Blue whispered, horrified by the fact he actually had to  _ ask _ , whispering barely loud enough for Nightmare to hear. An unspoken question hung in the air:  _ How well do you think you know me? _

Nightmare narrowed his eyes at Blue. “Is that a challenge?”

“Only if you make it one.” Blue replied, with a buttery-smooth wink.

Nightmare scowled, determined to figure it out. Besides, the way the younger looked at him like that was  _ grating _ . Closing his poison-green eye, he sifted through the other’s emotional core, searching deep to find that  _ boiling _ hate he knew persisted in the other. It was coiled up, reminiscent of a ball of string. Nightmare mentally took a strand of the metaphorical ‘string’… and  _ pulled _ .

Blue gasped, choking on air, his eyelights extinguishing. He clenched his teeth with a silent scream, clutching his chest, directly above his SOUL, a dark substance dribbling out of his right eyesocket.

_ Liquid hate. _

“W- what did you  _ do _ -?” he near-screamed, his SOUL  _ burning _ with hatred- _h_ _ is _ hatred. Blue’s fists clenched and unclenched subconsciously, body posture rigid as he tried to calm himself down, and partially succeeding.

Nightmare, not expecting _that_ reaction from the other, blinked. That was a  _ lot _ of hatred, especially for someone who interacted with his brother on a  _ daily basis _ . How much hatred was even in there?! Where the hell did it even come from?

Blue hastily wiped the liquified hatred off his cheekbone, grimacing, still in pain, but doing his best to hide it  _ because what else can he do _ ? “Okay, first of all,  _ never _ do that to me again, or I’ll do Error’s ‘job’ for him and eradicate you.” His SOUL ached,  _ screaming for help _ , but nobody came. The dark, black liquid continued to unevenly flow out from his eyesocket until it dripped onto his clothing, staining parts of it with smatterings of black stains.

He was an absolute mess, and only then did it dawn on him that he and the dark skeleton in front of him were  _ still enemies _ . Blue scrambled backwards, accidentally banging his head on the door behind him.  _ Trapped. _ Hissing in pain, his hand instinctively jerked to the back of his head. He forced it to lower, trembling from both the cold and sheer terror as he looked back up at Nightmare.

Nightmare, meanwhile studied his phalanges like a Karen would study her cherry-red nail polish, looking over the top of them when he heard Blue’s skull hit the Ruins Door with a small cracking sound. Involuntarily, he winced. That sounded painful, though he immediately schooled his expression when he noticed the ironically blue-clad skeleton peering at him.

_ Was that… sympathy?  _ If Blue hadn’t seen it flicker in the other’s expression, he wouldn’t have believed it, not in a million years. After all, who expected the Lord of Darkness to  _ care?  _ It certainly didn’t seem in character for him. Blue blinked, mind flashing back to his first confrontation with Nightmare.

_ It had been one of his bad days; not the worst, but still terrible. He was curled up, silently crying on his bed, when there was a terrified shriek from outside. Quickly wiping off his tears, he leapt to his feet, startled by the sudden noise, shattering the almost absolute silence of his room. Was someone in danger? As an aspiring member of the Royal Guard, he had to help! He had to prove his worth, and finally be accepted! _

_ Okay, so what if he knew the reason Alphys refused to let him join was because of his HoPe? It was still the right thing to do. That would have to be enough for him, doing the right thing simply because he  _ could _ , which was, ironically, one of the reasons he had joined the so-called ‘Star Sanses’ in the first place, despite his brother’s objections. After all, he was the Magnificent Sans! He smiled a bit at the thought. Breaking the laws of space and shredding the fabric of reality, he burst through through the side of his house, emerging whole and completely unscathed, but also completely unprepared for the sight awaiting him. _

_ Dream looked up at him, yellow eyelights shrunk to mere pinpricks, hands trembling as he held a bow and arrow glowing with positivity. He’d only seen it the few times they had attempted to stop Error from destroying universes- well, Dream and Ink had, at least. Stretch never really liked when he was gone for too long. _

_ Facing both him and one of his  _ true _ friends was a skeleton he had never seen before, practically radiating darkness and negativity. Blue sucked in a breath, knowing who he was looking at. Dream’s brother, infamous for spreading despair and hopelessness across the multiverse… Nightmare. _

_ His shock grew as he noticed the dust drifting towards the floor. Someone had  _ died _ here, in this very spot. Blue had to repress a sudden, boiling rage he rarely felt, not even towards Error, when he had tried to destroy Underswap. _

_ As the two took note of each other from across the pseudo-battlefield, they came to an unspoken agreement. They were enemies. _

_ At least, that’s what it meant to Blue. _

He opened his eyes, not even realizing they had closed. Blue absentmindedly reached up to wipe off the trails of hate he knew would still be there, blanching when he saw just how dark the stains on his previously sapphire gloves were, changing their color to an unevenly shaded navy.

Thankfully, no more of the sludge-like hatred dripped from his socket-  _ sockets _ , he realized, sighing in relief, wiping his right socket clean as well. Looking up, he paled, realizing Nightmare had moved…

_ Directly in front of him.  _ “Holy-“ Blue exclaimed, startled. Nightmare cocked his head. “So, Blueberry…” He smirked at Blue’s flinch at hearing the nickname reserved for his close friends. Nightmare’s tentacles whipped around to pick up the small skeleton, lifting him to face height and pinning him to the door, eyelight glowing a piercing green. Blue squirmed, eyelights shrinking.

_ “Ready to talk about that hatred of yours?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, because I didn't feel satisfied with Night's explanation of core emotions, I'll go into detail here.  
> Core emotions are, well, the core of your emotions. They make up a lot of your personality- your disposition. If you're someone with strong emotion-related magic (like Dream or Night), you can sense and/or manipulate them. This does NOT include altering them entirely. If one is repressed or coiled up (like Blue's hatred), it's possible to force someone to react to those emotions by 'uncoiling' them like Nightmare did. It's pretty risky, though, because said emotion will swamp the person's SOUL because of its sudden release, becoming the primary emotion expressed, even if it is just for a moment. If there's enough of it, it can completely overtake the person, driving them to insanity. They help SOULs decide which traits they possess, and are partially why they can change over time.  
> If something about this is unclear, please tell me so I can explain it!
> 
> Can you guys guess where the hatred's from?
> 
> Thank you for reading~!


	3. Bridges Built

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is part 2 of the last chapter.  
> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
> 
> He hopes he won't regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAA! The end of this arc approaches!  
> (this was slightly shorter than anticipated but eh)

Blue let out a squeak. “Oh my god-” Nightmare hissed in annoyance, tightening his hold on the other. “Answer. The.  _ Question. _ ” Blue’s eyelights went dark with fear. He seriously considered retaliating for a moment, but thought better of it. Nightmare could  _ easily _ dust him like this.

Wasn’t that just  _ perfect? _

Blue sighed, wriggling a bit more in Nightmare’s grasp before giving up, glaring at Nightmare for a moment before replying. “Fine, I’ll tell you,” He paused. “Could you please just- _not_ _do that-_ ” Blue’s voice squeaked, his voice’s pitch increasing as the tendrils ensnaring him tightened their hold _further._

Stars, he’d have to make this quick. “Okay- I’m pretty sure it’s not me hating someone else. I don’t think I’m actually capable of doing that, if I’m going to be honest- I don’t even really hold grudges.”

There was a pause. “So?”

“...Stars, I find it weird that  _ you’re _ going to be one of the people who knows this. I…” Blue sighed. He had to get this over with. “I kinda maybe potentially possibly probably have depression and anxiety? Maybe just a bit?”

“...You’re kidding.”

“I am not. That, my friend, is self-hate you’re looking at. Uh, well, most likely it is.”

Oh.

_ Oh. _

_ Stars, that made so much sense. _

That would explain why it felt so familiar- Nightmare had felt that a lot before the incident. His concentration slipped at the revelation, and Blue fell to the ground, a small ‘oof’ slipping out before the white skeleton got up. Nightmare couldn’t help but ponder this revelation.

How had the other managed to conceal it for so long? How had he managed to conceal  _ that much self-hatred _ ? There were so many questions, but it seemed like neither of them had any answers.

There  _ was  _ one thing he had to ask, though. “Are you on… pills of any sort?” Nightmare asked, rather bluntly, more so than he ever was.

“T- That’s what you’re asking? Well, the answer is no, by the way, but  _ why? _ ”

Odd. The other  _ had  _ acted like it was a secret, but he didn’t expect it to go  _ this _ deep. He suspected that Stretch probably didn’t even know either. If the swap Papyrus knew, Blue probably would have been in therapy a while ago.

Curiouser and curiouser.

“Do I answer to you?” Nightmare replied coolly, betraying none of his internal turmoil. Blue winced at the question. Yeah, okay, that was fair. He’d been kinda out of line there.

They stood there in an awkward silence once more, one of them abashed and the other deep in thought. “How the hell did you manage to hide that from my brother for so long?” Nightmare asked begrudgingly, shattering the silence.

Blue shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. He’s really easy to hide stuff from. I don’t think he’s noticed the fact that Ink has almost outright refused to fight Error for a while now.”

Nightmare considered this for a moment. He had to agree, the positive spirit that was (quite unfortunately) his brother could be  _ very oblivious. _ “I suppose that’s not  _ surprising _ . Error hasn’t been doing much work either,” He began to muse aloud. “Perhaps the artist and the glitch are together?”

“ _ That’s what I’ve been saying! _ ” Blue exclaimed, waving his arms through the air enigmatically.

“What would you propose, then?”

“Maybe they’re dating? Though now that I think about it, Ink can’t feel love, so maybe they’re just friends? Or maybe Ink did the thing where...” Blue trailed off, lost in thoughts and theories, humming quietly to himself.

Nightmare, meanwhile, had a realization he found he quite disliked, to put it mildly.

The other… reminded him a bit too much of himself, a long time ago, and that made him uncomfortable.  _ Perhaps we could come to a bit of an… arrangement? _ Nightmare pondered, expression twitching slightly in the shape of a smirk. It would take some convincing, but he believed it was possible to persuade Blue to join him. Judging by his current mental state, it shouldn’t pose much of a problem. Nightmare smirked. He  _ did _ need more employees, after all, and any way to get a leg up on Dream was worth it. Dream himself  _ could _ potentially be an issue, but Nightmare ignored the fact that his brother was still in Underswap.

After all, he wasn’t getting up anytime soon, was he?

Blue frowned.  _ Maybe they’re just- _ “What do you think of Dream?” Nightmare asked, interrupting his train of thought. “Sorry, what?”

“What do you think of my brother?”

Blue paused, narrowing his eyesockets in confusion at the subject change. “Hmm.” Did he  _ really  _ want to tell Nightmare the honest truth? Not really, but he didn’t want to  _ dust _ . Well, not at that moment, anyway.

“He’s… scatterbrained. N- not as much as Ink, but still. Actually, once he put his cape on upside down and we didn’t realize for a whole day- A lot of the time he acts before he thinks because his instincts tell him it’s the right thing to do. I… well, admire him, yeah, but there are some things I feel like he could do better… uh, can I ask you something?”

Nightmare thought about the question. He supposed it was only fair- and anyways, he needed the younger to trust him more before he could reasonably make an offer. “Okay.  _ One question _ . Anything you’d like. I will answer truthfully.”

Blue already knew what he was going to ask. “What were you talking about before? The… abandonment?”

Nightmare colored, face flushed a brilliant cyan. He had been listening to that!? He coughed, turning away to hide the gentle dusting of color appearing on his cheekbones. Blue glanced over at him, perplexed. “Are you okay..? Y- you did say I could ask anything, and that was the first thing I thought of because I was kinda wondering about that and you looked like you were really lost and upset and I-” He gasped, eyelights shrinking with a realization. “Ohh crap, was that too personal?” he whispered, expression horrified.

Nightmare turned back, expression neutral. “No,” he replied. “I just didn’t realize that you had listened to that. Well, it started a while ago. 500 years, in fact, at the Tree of Feelings…”

And thus, Nightmare began to recount his childhood- well, actually, it wasn’t much of a childhood, Blue quickly realized.

Blue was a good audience, Nightmare decided. He listened, clearly wanting to interject at points, and giving appropriate reactions at the right times.

Best of all was the look of simple  _ understanding _ the other gave him at the end. That little gleam of emotion in his eyelights as they dimmed- it was a look he had seen many times, but never directed towards him- the small skeleton’s natural desire to help people, a firey compassion mixed with something akin to determination.

It. 

Was.

_ Priceless _ . 

Dream could read ‘em and weep.

Was the time right to make a proposition? Possibly. He had the other’s sympathy, and that would be helpful. Immensely so. However, he seemed very fragile- Nightmare couldn’t let him break.

After all, that wasn’t useful.

Blue hummed. That was rough. “I think you made the best possible decision you could have,” Nightmare looked over at him, quizzically, and both of them realized that at some point during the retelling, they had moved so that they were sitting a few feet apart from each other. They had never been this close to each other before- well, at least, without fighting.

It was odd.

Blue continued, trying (and failing  _ miserably _ ) to ignore that fact. “I mean, your mental state was  _ crap _ , and so, logically, you went for your only saving grace: the apples. You didn’t know that your negativity would corrupt them, but that’s fine!” Blue continued his rant about how Nightmare was valid or whatever. Nightmare had stopped listening.

He was thinking.

How did this skeleton manage to conceal all that hate? It was one of his core emotions- he should have expressed it at least a few times. His eye widened with a sudden realization.

Was it being repressed? That… actually would make a lot of sense. It would explain why it was so… coiled. Blue was such a mystery.

That thought reminded him that now would be a good time to make his proposition. “Blue.”

“-should have done better- oh, yeah, Nightmare?”

“Would you like to come with me?”

Blue paused. “What?”

“Would you like to join me?”

Blue blinked rapidly. “S- sorry, I just need a moment to digest what you just said.” Nightmare could wait.

He had all the time in the world.

Blue was trying to figure out  _ why _ Nightmare would ask him that, his thoughts going a mile a minute. Were there any benefits? Did Nightmare like talking to him? Thinking about it honestly, he wouldn’t be opposed to trying it out, but making a sudden commitment…? He couldn’t do that.

He couldn’t ditch Dream like that, even if he really, really wanted to at the moment. He just didn’t want to do something he was going to regret- even though he would admit that their relationship would never be the same, but one argument usually never breaks a friendship. But, then again, no risk, no reward. 

…But maybe this was a risk he was willing to take.

“I… don’t know.” He replied. “On one hand, I’ll admit, I  _ kinda _ want to say yes, but on the other… hasty decision-making never works out well.”

Nightmare frowned. Shit, he had a point. At least he wasn’t completely opposed to it. He did want Blue to accept eventually. Perhaps a temporary offer would work. A trial, of sorts.

He was pretty confident in the fact that Dream and Blue weren’t friends. At least, not anymore. Blue  _ seemed _ to want to stay friends, but Dream took things like friendship really seriously.  _ Way _ too seriously.

Nightmare didn’t really have any friends, so he had no thoughts on the matter. But he was getting off track. “Would you agree to a free trial of sorts?” he questioned.

Blue hummed for a moment before answering. “What kind of a ‘free trial’?” The last part was accompanied by air quotes.

“You can join the gang for a month or so, and by the end of that period of time, you can leave if you wish.”

Blue blinked in surprise. ‘’If I don’t like it, you’ll let me just… walk out on you? Just like that? Nothing said on the matter?” That sounded  _ really _ suspicious- just how desperate  _ was _ the King of Negativity!? That was a really good deal and the fact that Nightmare was offering it… Did he think Blue could be valuable to him? If so, was he valuable like a playing piece, or as a friend? Did Nightmare even  _ have _ friends?

“I can’t speak for the rest of the gang, but I won’t ask, no. The others will be ordered not to speak of it, either.” Nightmare stood up, dusted himself off, and extended a hand to the smaller. Blue looked at him, question upon question running through his mind.

_ Did he really want to do this? _

Without a second thought, throwing any and all caution to the wind, he took the proffered hand, and they were gone.

Later, Blue would wonder if he had made the right choice, but only time could give him an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe~  
> Let's see where this goes, shall we?
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed, or leave a Kudos!  
> What do you want to see next? Angst or something fluffier?


	4. Extra Chapter: Wanna Bet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make a bet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu  
> This is an Extra Chapter! They'll come between arcs or other lulls in action, and they'll vary in length.  
> Have fun~

It was a relatively normal day in Outertale.

And Error was  _ not _ there with a certain artist.

...okay, maybe he  _ was _ , but he’d never admit it. Apparently the idiot was a ‘true neutral’ or something, so he’d switch sides during battle and things like that.

It was weird. But tolerable. As long as the inkstain didn’t actually touch him or-

“Oi, Glitchy?” Well, he supposed the pestering couldn’t be avoided. With an over-exaggerated groan, he turned to glare at Ink. “ _ What? _ ” Error near-hissed, dragged out of his thoughts by the other’s incessant whining.

“Betcha a universe Dream’s in Underswap right now~”

Error looked at Ink for a moment, before shrugging. “Bet you two that he’s injured.”

“Just two?”

“Just two.”

“Wow, Error, I never thought you’d have that much faith in Dream! I’m sure he’d be  _ flattered! _ ” Ink flashed him a shit-eating grin, and Error groaned. _“_ _ 5 _ universes.”

“I accept!”

Error rolled his eyelights, absentmindedly opening a window to the…  _ specific _ version of Underswap they had been talking about.

Error glanced back at Ink, a smirk on his face clear as day. “Guess who won?”

Ink pouted. “Oh, seriously?”

Error moved to the side so Ink could look through the portal. “Oh, sucks to be those people who are about to get destroyed. How many universes, again?”

Error paused, before answering. “I think you owe me 15.” That was a blatant lie, but he didn't care.

Ink seemed to believe it.

“Mmmkay,” Ink said, writing down a note on his scarf. “But  _ why _ is he unconscious?” Error shrugged. “If you want to know, go ask him.”

Ink stood up, readying his paintbrush. “See ya!” He said, painting the ground and portaling into Underswap.

Error turned back to his window. This… may potentially be interesting.

Dream awoke with a pounding headache. “Wha-”

“Oh, you're awake!” a familiar voice said.

“Ink?” he asked, looking at said skeleton.

“The one and only!”

“Why are you here…?” the guardian of positivity mused aloud, before sitting upright abruptly. “Where’s Blue?”

“Blue?” Ink hummed, one eyelight changing to a green question mark as he made a note on his scarf. “I dunno.”

“Oh stars… this might end badly.”

“Why?”

“Because-” Dream paused for a moment, before continuing. “...because I think Nightmare was here.”

Ink thought about this, before asking, “But what-”

“And I think Blue’s defected.”

Ink made a note on his scarf. “Why would he, though? It's not very in-character.”

“I don't know, but his brother’s going to end me when he finds out,” Dream groaned, placing his skull into his hands.

“...does he  _ have  _ to find out?”

Dream looked up at Ink. “What do you mean?”

“Murder!”

The guardian's expression morphed into one of horror. “No! We are not killing him!”

Ink shrugged. “I'm just saying! It's an option!”

“We're going to  _ have _ to tell him… and he's probably going to blame either you or me… probably me, because I was the one who fought with him in the first place… this is going to be horrible.”

Ink looked down at his notes, before saying, “But  _ why _ were you unconscious?”

Dream sighed. “So. Much. Negativity. I don't know where it came from, but… it wasn't pleasant.”

Ink hummed in thought for a moment. “Okay, see you later!”

“Wai-”

Ink had already portaled away.

Error blinked. What. There was multiverse drama…  _ and he'd missed it _ . Huffing, he ‘ported back to his part of the anti-void, sat down in his beanbag, and opened a window to a point somewhere before Dream fainted.

And proceeded to get pissed upon realizing that this  _ might _ be as interesting as Undernovela.

_ Might  _ be.

...maybe he could do something about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to channel my inner chaos through Ink.


	5. A Change In Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . . sorry about that impromptu hiatus, guys. I really am. Motivation is non-existent.

Blue blinked.

What just happened?

This wasn't an AU he recognized… 

Where-

He looked up at Nightmare, utterly confused. “Where are w-”

“Hideout.”

“...oh.”

Blue glanced around. It was… weird. The whole place was perpetually shrouded in shadow, and the place’s whole vibe was just...  _ oppressive _ .

He wasn't going to lie, it made him feel just a little bit uncomfortable.

“It's… uh… it's nice?” he tried, and Nightmare scoffed derisively, seeing through his bluff. “No it's not. You're just being polite.”

Well. He'd tried.

Nightmare started walking, and Blue filed after him absentmindedly, trying to figure out… well, a lot of things.

Firstly, though, he was trying to figure out how not to have a panic attack- because if there was one thing Nightmare’s castle wasn't, it was calming.

...and  _ then _ he could think about what he'd just done.

He'd _ defected. _ He had done something he never thought he would do. What would Papy thi-

Oh stars.

_ Paps. _

He was probably so worried- and without himself there- what if-

No, wait, that- that wasn't helping. That was bad. Bad Blue. No. Don't think about that.  _ Don't. _

He realized he had clenched his hands into fists, and slowly uncurled his phalanges as he calmed down.

Okay.

That was better.

“So… what now?” he asked, hesitantly, afraid of what the answer may be.

Nightmare glanced back at him, a smirk clear on his face. “You get to meet the gang,” he replied, and Blue felt his SOUL plummet.

Was this an elaborate murder setup? He wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

…no. Wait. Nightmare had had  _ multiple _ opportunities to kill him. And yet... he hadn’t.

~~ And yet, that went against everything he had been lead to believe about the skeleton. ~~

So he _ shouldn’t _ die here. Right?

Hopefully.

“N- nice,” he replied, his voice wavering slightly.

He just wanted this to be done and over with.

One of Nightmare’s tentacles pushed open the biggest door Blue had even seen in his entire  _ life _ (not even the door to the RUINS was that big!) and inside there was… 

Another, smaller door.

It was minuscule in comparison to the other- though it was taller than any version of Papyrus, most likely.

How many doors would there be?

_ Why  _ was there another door in the first place?

Nightmare saw his questioning stare and simply answered his unspoken question with a, “For security reasons.”

“But  _ why?”  _ Nobody would even  _ want _ to go to this AU, let alone break in!

Nightmare didn’t answer, instead pulling out a key and unlocking the new door.

“You are now-  _ officially- _ part of the gang.” the King of Negativity said, pushing open the door rather dramatically.

Oh stars.

_ What had he gotten himself into? _

Killer glanced up from sharpening his knives, noticing Nightmare enter the room. “Heya, bo-” he started, only to pause, noticing the skeleton behind the goopy hentai monster. He tensed, confused, but ready to fight- or kill- if he had to.

“Stand down, Killer,” Nightmare said, and Blue could almost feel the tension in the room.

“He’s one of  _ them-”  _ Killer hissed, and Nightmare glared at him, eyelight glowing a little bit brighter in a silent warning.

“Was.”

…suddenly everything that had just happened felt a lot more  _ real _ then before.

Like he had reached a point of no return.

“...fine,” Killer said, though Blue felt like it really wasn’t.

He wondered what had happened to the other- why he had turned to…  _ murder. _

…why he had joined Nightmare.

Blue realized that he barely knew  _ anything _ about the other’s universe- what it was like  _ or _ what had happened there.

Nobody had ever told him… and he had never asked.

He suddenly felt even more vulnerable than before. Like an idiot. He hated it.

“Uh… hi.” he said, and Killer seemed to have a moment of indesicion before he finally replied. “Heya, Blueberry.”

Blue huffed. “That's not my name. You know that.”

“Aww, no need to be so hostile. We're on the same side, aren't we?”

Blue paused. Oh, he understood what was happening now. Killer was trying to get him to slip up.

Well, he wasn't going to.

“Yup, which reminds me- we should actually make formal introductions!” He said, fake cheerfulness in his voice. He wasn't letting his facade down.

The eyelight-less skeleton simply smirked. “Sure. Name’s Sans.”

“Oh, what a funny little coincidence- that's my name too,” He replied without breaking stride. “My friends call me Blue, though.”

“Okay then,  _ Blueberry _ ,” Killer shot back, and he internally winced. He'd always hated that nickname. It was so…  _ childish. _

“So,  _ Sans _ ,” He replied pointedly, “What do you do for fun?”

“Get rid of annoying  _ pests _ .”

“Besides that?”

“Sharpen knives.”

Blue tried very hard not to have a reaction to that. He succeeded. Partially. “...you ever try woodcarving?”

Killer looked at him blankly. “No.”

“Oh,” he replied rather lamely (not awkwardly, the Magnificent Blue was  _ never _ awkward! ...totally.), trying to think of some way to salvage the conversation. “I honestly thought you would have.”

_ “Do _ you know anything about woodcarving?”

“No, but there's always the internet.”

The other studied him carefully, before shrugging. “Why not?”

“He  _ what?”  _ Killer exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. Nightmare nodded. “He’s defected. Which means  _ we _ are currently  _ up _ one member, and my  _ brother,”  _ He filled the word with so much disdain you could feel it resonating in your SOUL, “is  _ down _ one. Technically he’s on his own, because Ink isn’t even properly allied with him!”

If Nightmare had gotten any more excited, his eyelight would have turned into a star. Thankfully, he didn't.

“...so you don’t think he’s just here to spy on us.” Killer said, still slightly confused.

Nightmare chuckled darkly. “I don’t think someone in the middle of a panic attack is going to be a good liar.”

“Huh,” Killer replied, disoriented. “That… I… okay.”

“Oh, Killer, make sure you don't get  _ too _ attached. We can't have a repeat of last time.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure thing, boss,” Killer mumbled, hands in his pockets. He'd try, but…

It might be hard, considering he was  _ so much _ like Paps.

Blue sighed, swinging his legs off of the bed he was sat on. He had a room, and… it wasn't as bad as he had thought.

Everyone seemed nice enough.

So… why were they deemed ‘evil’?

It made no sense… he sighed again, glancing at the clothes that lay folded neatly next to him before picking them up.

They were very… black. Edgy. The second that thought crossed his mind he stifled a snort. Now was not the time to critique Nightmare’s fashion sense. He had to focus.

Focus.

There were black jeans, which he decided he liked well enough- he might’ve actually worn them normally. There was, surprisingly, a white shirt, which he was ultimately partial to. And then… his eyelights caught something familiar.

…

...there was no way he was wearing that.

It-

He touched his bandanna gently, the material soft and familiar. Comfortable.

It felt like home.

His eyelights were drawn towards the fireplace in the corner of the room.

He picked up the black piece of fabric, smooth and silky, but strange and foreign.

And he hurled it in.

It was a mockery of his most prized item, and he wouldn’t wear it.

He refused to.

So he watched it burn.

And he felt a little bit better afterwards. 

Only a  _ little _ better.

He’d never  _ actually _ interacted with Cross before. The other reminded him of Ink, though in all honestly that was only because of the excessive amounts of layers they both wore.

Well, in Ink’s case, rather, it was  _ used  _ to wear- the artist had changed outfits recently. Cross, on the other hand, had not, and still continued to wear an obnoxious number of layers. Blue couldn't understand why. Didn’t it get hot in there?

“So…” he started. “...what's your favorite food?”

Cross glanced up at him, before muttering, “...tacos.”

Blue lit up like a firework on the Fourth of July. “I can cook those!”

Cross looked at him incredulously, expression full of disbelief. “You can?”

“Yeah!”

_ “Teach me, senp-”  _ Cross cut himself off with a cough, face flushed with embarrassment. Nope. He had  _ not _ almost pulled an anime girl and called the shorter skeleton ‘senpai’. Blue, thankfully, hadn’t noticed. “Sure!”

The kitchen.

Was.

A.

_ Mess. _

But at least the tacos were edible? Well, for the most part.

Somehow glitter had gotten into them.

“They’ve been infected with your sunshine-y personality!” Cross whined, poking at them.

“I don’t even know why there’s glitter?” Blue replied, confused. “I- I don’t have any glitter on me!” he countered, and Cross sighed, giving up. 

“They’re… still pretty good though. I guess,” Cross conceded.

Blue beamed with pride. “Thanks!”

“He’s just... too much like Pap.” Killer growled, annoyed, flinging his knife towards a training dummy. It hit it right where its heart would've been. 

Dust nodded, tilting his head to the side like he was listening to something- or someone. “Yep… he says that something's definitely up.”

“Should we-” Killer started.

“Do you  _ want _ to piss the boss off?” Dust retorted.

“On second thought… we should think of something else.”

Dust nodded agreement.

Ink blinked, tilting his head. Was he being summoned? Huh.

Shrugging, he decided to see where he ended up… and somehow found himself in a very Victorian era-like office. He grinned.  _ Hell yeah. _ He knew where he was.

Nightmare was going to  _ riot _ after the prank he pulled next.

As he looked for a bucket, he got to thinking.

Nightmare’d probably spilt some ink here earlier. And with his luck, well, someone must have said his name somewhere ‘round here.

It was time to cause some  _ real _ chaos.

Ink poked his head around the corner. The coast was clear. He snuck up to the door of Nightmare's office, placed a bucket of water on top of it, and ‘ported away.

His work there was done.

“Who was it?” Nightmare hissed, storming into the common room, dripping with a combination of ink-like goop and water and all the skeletons in there looked up as one. 

“What happened?” Blue asked, confused.

_ “Someone _ dumped water onto me.”

There was a silence.

“I'm not  _ mad, _ so just tell me who did it.” This was a lie, because Nightmare was very clearly seething.

“I- okay, it was me-” Blue started, trying to save whoever had done it.

“No it wasn't. You're too nice. Now, I'm going to ask again.  _ Who did it?” _

Killer spoke up. “...I mean, Cross  _ has _ been awfully quiet.”

“Wh- so have  _ you!” _

“Well,  _ I  _ didn't do it, so-”

Nightmare was starting to regret making that offer. There was so much _ positivity. _

Disgusting.

...maybe he could start using the newbie and do something useful. Cause some panic, perhaps.

Dream would certainly be inconvenienced… eh. Why not?

It could be fun, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed reading, hehe~

**Author's Note:**

> I told you Dream suffers.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
